Tag: Culture War

The problem isn’t that Catholics haven’t been using our profound intellectual tradition. The problem is that our thought leaders keep deploying tactics that lead with dialectic informed by that tradition when the public at large a) is not equipped to understand that tradition, b) has no desire to understand that tradition, and c) have been conditioned into both of those predispositions by the media and academia, including many Catholic schools.

As for why God has allowed Christian influence to wane, it’s because we have free will, He lets us have the consequences of our bad decisions, and Christians have been making a fuck ton of bad decisions over the past several decades. (See divorce and contraception rates, degradation of the liturgy, and Democrat party voting rates among Christians.)

Marshall ends with this lament:

Where are the Christians? We need to spend the next decade prayerfully cultivating sharp and relevant Christian minds to engage the culture and social media.

To reiterate, Milo and Gavin are two Christians who’ve been extraordinarily successful on social media. John C. Wright is a prolific and gifted Catholic author and blogger. Vox Day is making inroads in publishing and tech. Even I’m making my own modest contribution. But Guys like Taylor Marshall won’t support or acknowledge any of us because we’re not engaging in Thomistic disputations on Facebook.

While one might argue about exactly how Christian or how effective any of the people Niemeier mentions are, the fact is they have done more than the average writer who shows up on New Advent on a regular basis. Thomistic disputations at this point in time only work for preaching to the choir.

This really goes to show, in a way, why the idea of withdrawing from society is bad. On one hand, we have to back up enough to be able to preserve ourselves and children and so on from being corrupted. On the other, it’s clear that current Catholic pundits are already so removed from regular society that they don’t understand how to speak to normal people.

There may be a bit of the IQ gap problem here too. Catholics have a great and wonderfully long intellectual tradition. But people are stupid. 2000 years of theology and philosophy mean nothing to a moron. I once failed a quiz on the Summa after reading the required section five times. But somebody who can read it, who can understand it, maybe can’t understand how to dumb it down enough for the intellectually challenged to grasp. When your brain functions solely on a dialectical level can you even comprehend a brain that functions only on the rhetorical? It’s certainly going to be harder to do if you live in a Catholic bubble or an academic ivory tower and aren’t surrounded by people like that every day.

Trying to get these people to comprehend that they don’t comprehend is as difficult and frustrating as trying to get an average person to understand that maybe his problems might be coming from sleeping around and, no, a vasectomy won’t help. The man standing on moral bedrock can’t tell the man drowning in quicksand to just stand on bedrock. There isn’t any bedrock over there but the man standing on it doesn’t see the quicksand.

The difference between dialect and rhetoric is imperative for people to understand. Understand it and know when it use it. Sometimes that’s going to mean being mean. We have to let go of the intellectual pride and the self congratulatory, defeatist moral high ground and try to win for a change.

Antifa, perhaps bored by their usual targets or just lacking something to do, has added a Catholic men’s conference to their list of “hate groups” deserving of being shut down. Since they have no grasp on what truth means, they have no problem spinning a theological conference designed to help men become better husbands and fathers into a woman-hating, white supremacist organization. If the facts don’t fit your narrative, just ignore the facts!

Church Militant, the organizer of the conference, addressed the Antifa threat in a a press release:

FERNDALE, Mich. (ChurchMilitant.com) – Church Militant, a 12-year-old Catholic media apostolate, with headquarters in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale, is coming under attack by Antifa-related protestors claiming the religious organization inspires a “culture of rape” and is “white supremacist.”

The group Michigan Peoples Defense Network (MPDN) is planning a demonstration at Church Militant’s third annual Strength and Honor Conference, to be held in Sterling Heights, Michigan on Saturday, August 5. The conference is entirely theological in nature, offering talks on the essential role of sacrificial masculinity required of Catholic men to be good husbands and fathers. MPDN’s aim is to shut down the event.

In a further effort to intimidate, MPDN is holding a press conference on the sidewalk in front Church Militant studios Friday, July 28, right by the front door, announcing the August 5 protest.

The claims by MPDN are completely false and unfounded. The claim that Church Militant is a promoter of white male supremacy is immediately contradicted by the following facts:

Half the organization’s departments are headed by women (one who is a legal immigrant)

Additionally, the claim that the conference is about “men’s rights” is a deliberate distortion. The conference is about men’s obligations, not “rights.”

Church Militant absolutely condemns and abhors the lies and violence that have become the hallmark of the Antifa movement, which MPDN members associate with on social media. Church Militant is not a hate group; MPDN is the real hate group, trying to intimidate religious organizations into silence and shut down a conference meant to help men become better husbands, fathers, sons and brothers by fostering the virtues of humility, charity and sacrifice.

Church Militant is further disturbed by the group’s thinly veiled threats of physical violence present in the language of their site and Facebook page. This kind of discourse cannot be allowed to stand in a civilized nation.

Church Militant is open to discussion with anyone, and have indeed made this a hallmark of the work conducted here for a dozen years, but we will not be cowed by lies and thug tactics becoming so commonplace on the Left.

Let’s hope an organization called Church Militant won’t be cowed and won’t let their conference be shut down.

Instead, Niles, who is editor-in-chief of Church Militant, has been in consultations with local law enforcement after learning that a left-wing group is drumming up support to shut down the conference, which will take place on Aug. 4-6 at locations in Ferndale and Sterling Heights, Mich…

The theological conference causing controversy, titled “Strength and Honor,” is billed as “offering talks on the essential role of sacrificial masculinity of Catholic men to be good husbands and fathers” and to equip attendees with tools to “gain the spiritual and mental tools to be strong leaders among the faithful.”

Did you catch that? A Vietnamese immigrant woman is the editor-in-chief of Church Militant and one of the main organizers of the men’s conference with the goal of focusing on sacrificial masculinity and teaching men to be good husbands and fathers.

To Antifa, this equals a hate group that “promotes a hateful, anti-woman message,” a “culture of rape,” and is “white supremacist.” In a Facebook post about the planned demonstrations against Church Militant, they added this:

“Many of the church’s points are lifted from or are identical to ‘men’s rights’ discourse, which focuses on reducing women’s agency and reproductive rights… The community will picket and protest to shut down the hateful messages spread at this conference… The church also peddles racist, anti-Muslim rhetoric, painting Muslim migrants and refugees as sexual predators… As the radical Christian right rises in America, having supported Donald Trump’s campaign of hatred against the most marginalized, it is more vital than ever that the community stands against hate draped in a cross.”

What strikes me most about this statement is the ignorance. Many of the church’s points are lifted from… the men’s rights movement? That is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard… aside from ignoring all the facts right in front of their faces that contradict every statement they make.

Ms. Niles responded in a statement on behalf of Church Militant:

“The real bone of contention that MPDN has with Church Militant is not the spurious claims and lies it’s telling, but the positions we take on morality and decency… Church Militant is not a hate group; MPDN is the real hate group, trying to intimidate religious organizations into silence and shut down a conference meant to help men by fostering the virtues of humility, charity and sacrifice.”

If a religious group hosting a conference to promote the virtues of humility, charity, and sacrifice can become a target of Antifa, no one with conservative and/or Christian positions is safe.

And they say there’s no war going on against Christians and conservatives…

If the Left was routed in the last election, they haven’t given up the fight. They’re intent of fighting tooth and claw against Trump and all that his voters stand for and want for the US. I thought this summary by the Family Research Council of how the Left is trying to undermine Trump and up the ante in the culture war sounded accurate (though not complete):

The Left is pulling out the stops to destroy President Trump and to stop conservatives any way they can.

Here are five ways the “Progressives” have intensified the war on your values and freedoms:

1) Igniting an explosion of propaganda sold to Americans as “news.” The mainstream media are overwhelmingly committed to undermining President Trump and the conservative cause. We now know that many supposedly nonpartisan journalists were heavily — even financially — committed to Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for president.

2) Destroying public trust and spreading confusion. The media are hard at work in supporting the leftist agitators by spewing “fake news” and sounding the alarm about nonexistent crises virtually every day — dutifully affirmed and repeated by liberals in Congress and statehouses across the nation — all designed to deceive the American people.

3) Unleashing lawless radicals in the streets and town meetings. It’s now evident that Barack Obama is behind the mobilization of tens of thousands of radical agitators to shout down conservative members of Congress when they hold town meetings back in their districts and states.

4) Maintaining a shadow government working against the American government. Obama appointees who are still serving as unelected bureaucrats inside the federal government are now working against the Trump White House, essentially operating as a sort of “shadow government” from within the government itself. A torrent of suspicious leaks, some of them endangering our national security, as well as several other outrages, have made it painfully clear that enemies of America are at work inside the federal bureaucracy.

5) Coordinating and unifying the falsehood and disruption. The Left is obviously unified in its anti-Trump messaging, and its attacks are clearly coordinated across the entire spectrum of liberal media platforms and organizations.

British liberal Piers Morgan who disagrees with Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration is defending Trump. He’s also putting Rowling in her place.

Dave Rubin who considers himself liberal leaves the Left.

Gay Journalist, who dared to write an objective piece on the much-hated Milo, is ostracized by his own. He has his eyes opened to what they’re really like and starts re-thinking his position. (Smart move, guys.)

JK Rowling’s fans, fed up with her political posting on Twitter, pledged to burn her books and never read her work again. JK responded with class demonstrating how much she really cares for her fans:

Well, the fumes from the DVDs might be toxic and I’ve still got your money, so by all means borrow my lighter. 4:29 AM – 31 Jan 2017

JK Rowling: fantasy and arrogance at its best? Psst, JK, your books aren’t really that awesome, could’ve used a good editor, and seriously declined in quality as the HP series progressed — but you got lucky and now you’re rich. How about a little gratitude and loyalty to the fans that put you where you are?

Of course it did. How many un-thinking women were duped? How many people actually believed the mainstream media (i.e. fake news) spin that this was a noble cause we should all get behind? Ladies (and Gentlemen), it’s time to stop focusing so much on the feels and turn your brains on.

The intersectional feminism of the March wasn’t immediately visible. Straight, white women were tolerated, but certainly not exalted. The organizers wanted to make sure the march “[was] led or centered around women of color, or it will be a bunch of white women marching on Washington.” As a result, some feminists couldn’t help but feel that the real agenda of equality had been hijacked in favor of an illiberal liberalism.

This is the kind of double-speak at which the Left is so adept: where differences are celebrated, but only if they’re the right ones; where partisan mitosis continues until the only causes left to champion are those of the transgender, bisexual, Muslim illegal immigrant trying to get a late-term abortion.

***

Among those participating in the historic March were those whose lack of information on its actual agenda had profiteered the Left and its monolithic, make-no-concessions narrative. With enough pink and some language on social justice, the organizers had rightly predicted women adhering to a basic definition of “feminism”—the theory of equality of the sexes, regardless of their views on Sharia or the unborn—would clog the Metro stations with their signs.

These women have come to learn that their diverse and disordered march had been coordinated in large part by a capitalist pro-abort [Cecile Richards of PP], an Islamic misogynist [Linda Sarsour], and one very rich man [George Soros].

More proof (as though we need it) that the women of this country are seriously confused, at least the most vocal elements are. The early women’s rights movement may have made sense, but ceased to do so a long time ago. Just like the leftists, feminists have no consistency in what they preach and protest about, and apparently no ability to think with anything resembling logic and reason. If they did, the “Women’s March” on DC would have seemed ridiculous.

And the celebrities and pop culture many of these women embrace would be seen as derogatory towards women. They simultaneously condemn and celebrate two sides of one coin. They shout to the world, especially men, “don’t objectify us, don’t define us by our body parts” while at the same time presenting themselves as sex objects and defining themselves by their body parts (except when “tolerance” insists that they accept “trans-women” — and not very convincing cross-dressers like Stephen Crowder!).

Victoria Cobb of the Family Foundation made these observations on the so-called “Women’s March:”

The thing about vulgarity is that for most people, the novelty wears off when we grow up. The use of these words proves nothing except possibly that we lack the creativity and class to have conversations of substance and meaning.

I fear that much the same principle applied to those that attended the misnamed “March for Women.” Given everyone appeared to be angry for different reasons and the march itself had no centralized purpose, it left a void that vulgarity filled. Sign after sign used words and images that should make us cringe. Rather than symbolizing some liberation of women, it should embarrass us. Does it represent our gender to be unable to express our specific, legitimate concerns with this administration with civility? I get that our new President hasn’t exactly set a high bar in this arena. I just find it odd that those that dislike him so much gladly follow him into the gutter.

Rather than organizing an anti-Trump rally, organizers tried to make it the summation of what it is to be a woman. The only problem with that plan is that in today’s gender-confused society, it’s very hard to describe what it is that makes one a woman. If visuals in D.C. yesterday are any explanation, womanhood comes down to the existence of a uterus and the ability to kill the next generation of girls. This left the march with conflicting messages because on the one hand, it is the uterus that defines “womanhood,” but on the other hand, even a uterus doesn’t guarantee your exclusive stake on a women’s locker room or shower room.

An even more recent example of their inconsistency: Women who protest female objectification and decry “rape culture” singing praises for the domination of women, glorification of rape and domestic abuse of women in films like 50 Shades Darker. Mary Ann Kreitzer and Jamie Fuller tell us why “Love is Not Grey ” and why they “Won’t be Seeing Fifty Shades Darker and No Real Feminist Would”:

Tell us again, girls, how crude and misogynistic Donald Trump is as you slobber over the sick messages of these male domination/rape films? … Haven’t we been there in the past? I thought we’d advanced from the all-women-are-sluts-who-really-want-to-be-raped era. Guess I was wrong. On the other hand, is it possible that liberal women like those at the Women’s March agree with the message? They were certainly lewd and crude and…well… slutty at the March.

***

I won’t be going to see the new Fifty Shades of Grey movie and here’s why. We as women have spent the last 50+ years fighting to be seen as more than sex objects. We have demanded equality to men in the work place. We’ve fought to have our partners stand by our side at home and pitch in around the house. We’ve dug ourselves out from this idea that women should be the sole caretakers of our children. We want to be equal to men in all ways (well not me- we aren’t equal- women fill the gaps that men can’t and vice versa – but that’s a whole different discussion).

Why, then, are women clambering to see Fifty Shades Darker? What does that say when we promote a movie that not only objectifies women, but creates this idea that every woman fantasizes about being dominated?

***

Before you rush out to see Fifty Shades Darker this Valentine’s Day, consider this: we as a country were outraged at the idea of a presidential candidate making crass and inappropriate comments about women. We as a country (well some of us anyway) supported a march on the capital protesting rape and domestic violence on women. We as a country have fought for women to be on the same level as men in the work place, in society, and at home. Why, then, would any of us want to see a movie that does nothing more than demote women to sex objects and elevate men into a place of dominance over us?

Don’t forget ladies: if the fictional Christian Grey assaults a young woman in highly demeaning ways, that’s cool, but if Donald Trump is caught on tape more than a decade ago making a demeaning comment about women, that calls for months (years?) of outrage and condemnation. The best way to combat “jerks like Trump?” Definitely go see 50 Shades Darker and be vulgar and slutty in public. Yep, that will definitely put a stop to men viewing women as worthless except as sex objects.